Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G review: Budget 200MP

Xiaomi is pushing the envelope when it comes to smartphone cameras in mid-range phones. Its latest Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G sports a 200MP main camera — a feature you'd expect on the flagship Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra — but not in a phone that you can get for less than S$600. Coupled with the impressively-fast 120W charging, a bright and smooth 120Hz display, and a decent processor, the Redmi Note is a great mid-range phone that offers good value.

Quick specs

6.67-inch AMOLED (2,400 x 1,080 pixels, up to 120Hz)
MediaTek Dimensity 1080 with 8GB RAM, 256GB storage
5,000mAh battery, 120W charging (120W charger included)
Cameras: 200MP, 8MP ultra-wide, 2MP macro, 16MP front

The Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G has a slightly curved glass back, but its 6.67-inch AMOLED screen is flat with narrow bezels. It's a good display for a mid-range phone. It has a smooth 120Hz refresh rate, gets quite bright (up to 900 nits), and supports HDR formats like Dolby Vision. You also get Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection, though the phone itself is only splash-proof (IP53). The camera bump sticks out by a fair bit, so the phone will wobble on the desk. The included silicon case helps mitigate this. Overall, the Redmi Note is a large and hefty phone (210g) that looks more premium than many mid-range models.

The 200MP main camera has optical image stabilisation (OIS), and is supported by a 8MP ultra-wide camera, and a 2MP macro camera. Day shots are detailed, but not overly processed. I did find them a tad saturated, but overall they are very good. By default, photos are pixel-binned to 12MP. You can also take 50MP and 200MP photos. But 200MP photos will chew up the storage quickly, and the Redmi Note lacks a microSD card. I suggest shooting with the 50MP mode unless you're looking to print a zoomed-in shot. The ultra-wide camera is decent, but photos are obviously less detailed. The phone takes only a second or two to shoot in Night Mode. There's less noise than expected, and the colours look good. Overall, the Redmi Note's main camera is pretty good for its price.

Performance-wise, the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G isn't flagship-tier, but it's responsive enough. Its MediaTek Dimensity 1080 chip returned scores of 777 (single-core) and 2,204 (multi-core), which are fine, and comparable to other mid-range models. I also prefer its side-mounted capacitive fingerprint sensor, which is fast and accurate, unlike the optical in-display fingerprint sensor found at this price range. It's also nice to have proper dual stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos support that produce very decent audio. However, I would have liked better haptics than the weak vibrations from the phone. As for battery life, the Redmi Note will last a day with plenty left in the tank. It managed 14hr 6min in a video playback test at maximum brightness.

At S$569 for the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G (and S$469 for the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G, which has a 50MP main camera and 67W charging), I can see why Xiaomi calls the Redmi Note series mid-range kings. Both versions offer a 120Hz screen, super-fast charging, and decent performance. The 200MP camera on the Pro+ is also better than the typical mid-range smartphone, especially with OIS helping with shaky hands and low-light conditions. In short, you won't go wrong with either phone if you're shopping in the S$500 to S$600 price bracket. Get the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G at Lazada, and Shopee.

Note: Review unit provided by Xiaomi.

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